'It was such a comfort to have everything sorted': Fragile health should no longer stop holiday cover

Travel insurers are starting to tackle the ‘last taboos’ to allow those with the most serious physical and mental illnesses to buy cover.

The changing profile of holidaymakers, and especially the growth in travel among retired people, has prompted more specialist insurers to start covering those with pre-existing medical conditions – albeit sometimes at a higher premium.

Iain Sykes, development director for specialist insurer OK To Travel, says: ‘More insurers have come into the market willing to cover those travellers with serious and even terminal medical conditions.’

Holiday plans: Heart attack victim Barry Everett, with his wife Margaret, can still get insurance to revisit Minorca

Mike Rutherford, chairman of
specialist broker AllClear Travel Insurance, says: ‘We believe
wholeheartedly that everyone has the right to travel, irrespective of
their age or their state of health.’

Longer lifespans also mean more trips
being taken where one of the travellers has a diagnosis of dementia or
Alzheimer’s, a condition in the spotlight as September is World
Alzheimer’s Month.

Sykes says: ‘Insurance for those with
some mental health conditions has been the last taboo, but even this
area is improving. We’re now one of about eight companies who will cover
most conditions, such as dementia, bipolar disorder and depression.’

But anyone looking for cover needs to be open about the exact state of their health.

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Graeme
Trudgill, head of corporate affairs at the British Insurance Brokers’
Association, says: ‘A broker will need to know about the progress of a
disease or condition, how stable a traveller is and what treatment and
medication they are taking.

‘If the traveller does not disclose
something important which then comes out later if a claim is made, there
may well be problems getting the claim paid. In cases of more serious
illnesses a traveller may also be asked to share medical reports or for a
letter from a GP.’

Rutherford says: ‘It is imperative to
declare all your medical conditions. Emergency medical treatment in some
parts of Europe can cost anything between £20,000 and £40,000, so
travellers need to be certain that they are fully insured.’

Some travellers with serious
conditions may also have to pick their destination carefully. Cover, for
example, for holidays in the US will usually be more expensive because
of high treatment costs there.

Other locations may be off limits
altogether. Trudgill says: ‘If you are planning to travel to a remote
location with only basic medical facilities, an insurer will be more
cautious because of the higher costs of evacuating you to a care
facility if you relapse.’

Barry Everett, 65, initially thought
it was going to be difficult to get travel cover in the aftermath of a
double heart attack. Barry, who is married to Margaret, 63, was rushed
to hospital on Boxing Day 2010 after he started feeling chest pains.

He was in the process of being
transferred by ambulance for surgery at a second hospital when he lost
consciousness. ‘I woke up and was told that I had died twice in the
ambulance and that I owed everything to the skill of the paramedics who
had brought me back,’ he says.

Once he was stable, Barry, who lives
in Normanton, West Yorkshire, was operated on and had heart stents
fitted to improve his blood flow.

Five months later the couple booked a
trip to Minorca, their favourite holiday destination. But given Barry’s
heart attack, most travel insurers were either not interested in
providing cover, or demanded that he pay sky-high premiums.

Barry, who worked as a computer
systems manager for a local newspaper before retiring, says: ‘The best
quote I could find was £250 for ten days, a huge rise on what I was
expecting to pay.’

Margaret, a shop worker, persevered
with the hunt and eventually secured joint cover with AllClear for £73.
The pair were glad they had not risked travelling without insurance when
Barry was taken ill again on the way back to the airport at the end of
their trip.

He had a sudden heart murmur and
needed hospital tests to ensure he was well enough to fly. AllClear
covered the medical bills, and the cost of an extra hotel stay. Then it
rearranged flights back home once Barry was able to travel.

He says: ‘It was such a comfort to have everything sorted – even down to a taxi to the airport when I was ready to fly.’

After spending this year enjoying holidays closer to home in Britain, the couple are planning to return to Minorca next year.

Older customers are now getting more
help to find the right insurance cover. The industry is six months into
a new arrangement to ‘signpost’ older motorists and holidaymakers to
specialists that can help.

Where a company is unwilling to offer
motor or travel insurance on the grounds of age, it must point the
customer either to a rival that can help or to an appropriate insurance
broker.

The deal is binding on all members of
the Association of British Insurers. Insurers agreed the move from last
April after Government concerns that older customers were struggling to
find cover and faced potential discrimination.

Most firms have decided to point those
they cannot help to the free Find-a-Broker service, run by the British
Insurance Brokers’ Association. Callers to the helpline (0870 950 1790)
can speak to an operator who will match them with a specialist broker.
The service is also available online at biba.org.uk.

Graeme Trudgill of BIBA says: ‘We’re
pleased with the way the service is developing. We’ve now got hundreds
of companies, including many of the biggest insurers and banks,
directing customers to us for help.’

The association is expecting to handle
about 400,000 enquiries over the next year. The service can also help
other customers with complex insurance needs, such as drivers who have
previously been disqualified or homeowners in areas of high flood or
subsidence risk.

But there is no guarantee the insurer or broker recommended will necessarily be the cheapest.